How to use the rain water constructively?

Recycling rainwater is certainly worth doing if you want to save water and reduce your water bills. There are many things that can be done with rain water, provided one has the means of collecting, storing and properly distributing rain water.


The first thing you need is water catchment and they have to be placed in an area which is free from falling debris, leaves, branches and tiles. You can find huge plastic container that comes in various shapes and sizes and can be covered with a lid when it is not raining. In fact, you can use any empty water jugs or gallons which are clean.

In the cities, capturing rainwater from the roof is a great way to supply water for various purposes including washing clothes, watering your garden and flushing toilets. The most effective way to save money on water bills is rainwater tanks, especially if you also use other water saving devices such as water-efficient showerheads, dual flush toilets, tap timers and trigger nozzles.

Before purchasing or installing a rain water tank, you should take care of the following:

1. Selecting the right tank for your need: Rain water tanks are available in various materials and comes in different shapes and sizes. The most common material used is synthetic polymers, but you should take care of the food-grade standard of the material. Tanks are also available made from galvanized steel and concrete. Fibreglass tanks suitable for collecting rainwater are manufactured with a food-grade coating on their interior surface.

2. Installation and maintenance: The size of roof will determine the volume of water you are able to collect. You may need to make changes to the position of your downpipes to maximise the volume of water flowing to your tank.

3. Safety and water quality: The quality of water collected depends on the correct installation of the tank. The tank should be properly covered when it is not raining.

4. Building regulations: Before purchasing the water tank, check with the local health or building council regarding the standards.

Many people collect water and save it for the period of water shortage, particularly dry months. After securing a tap to these catchments, they use it for watering the gardens, washing cars, cleaning their homes and pets. If you hook up a pipe from these catchments and route it to your kitchen and bathroom, you can install a dual system where you can switch between supplied water and rainwater for washing the dishes and flushing the toilet.

Recycling rain water contributes positively to the environment and saves you money. Rain is free, we will never run out of rain (In fact many countries are facing floods due to global warming) and clean empty containers are also free. So, what are you waiting for? 

What is a Biofuel?

Biofuel is derived from the biomass conversion and have been used since the start of the 20^th century. It is simply the energy derived from carbon fixation. The use of Biofuels has increased in recent times as the price of gasoline has increased. Along with, the need to combat the increased carbon dioxide emissions and government subsidies has led to increased usage of biofuels. This is evident from the fact that the production of biofuel has increased 17% in 2010 compared to the production in 2009.
Petrol and diesel are also ancient biofuels but they are considered as fossil fuel as the carbon in them has been out of the natural carbon cycle for a long period of time.  Biofuels are made from the plants that are nowadays available.


The most widely used biofuel is ethanol. USA and Brazil are the top producer and consumer of ethanol. It is made by fermenting alcohol, mostly from carbohydrates produced in sugar or starch crops such as corn or sugarcane. Ethanol is added to the gasoline to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and to increase the engine performance, though it can be used as a fuel in its pure form.


Another popular form of biofuel used is biodiesel. European Union is the biggest producer of biodiesel and biodiesel is the most common biofuel in Europe. It is produced from oils or fats and can be used as fuel to drive vehicles in its pure form but is added to the conventional diesel to reduce emissions.


The popularity of biofuels has soared in the recent years as they help to reduce emissions, reduces reliability on the conventional fossil fuels and is a renewable source of energy. But there has been increased debate on the benefits of biofuels. Some experts believe that the energy obtained from the biofuel is less than what is spend on the production of biofuel.


Therefore, it is imperative to improve the production process of biofuel and make them easily available to the general consumers with increased government subsidies. 

Ten ways to lower electricity bills.

The cost of living is escalating and with the rising expenses there arise a need to cut down utility bill expenses. By making some simple changes to your lifestyle this can be done. In fact, most of these tips are probably not new to you. If you make good use of them and follow these tips, you will find smaller electric bills.

1. Installing Programmable Thermostat: The Energy Information Administration report says that 40% of the home energy usage is used for heating and cooling spaces. As we forgot to turn appliances when they are not needed, installing a programmable thermostat could reduce energy usage. It can be programmed to switch off the appliances when they are not needed. According to the studies this can help you to save 10% of annual electricity bills.

2. Energy Saving Appliances: The home appliances used in the house such as air conditioners, washing machines and refrigerators can save substantial amount of energy. The manufacturers had developed energy efficient appliances which use less electricity to help save some money for the consumers. The government agencies had certified these appliances to help consumer identify these products as energy savers such as Energy Star in America. Energy Star approved products help save you money through their advanced construction and design.

3. Consulting a local HVAC Technician: Consulting an HVAC (heat ventilation and air conditioning) technician can detect leaking ducts or malfunction filter can save a substantial amount on electricity bills. Inspecting filters of furnace and air conditioner can increase the efficiency of the unit.

 4. Proper Insulation: Properly insulated house can substantially save energy bills. A well insulated home keeps air cool in summer and warm in winter. Insulate home’s ductwork and exterior outlets and add sufficient amount of caulk around windows and doors. This will reduce the flow of air and prevents the HVAC system to work harder. Insulating hot water heaters and hot water pipes can also save some money.

5. Washing clothes in cold water throughout the year: By washing clothes in cold water can save a great deal of energy per cycle rather than washing on a hot setting.

6. Change light bulbs to CFL’s: Changing incandescent light bulbs with fluorescent light bulbs can save up to 25% on lighting costs. CFL”s not only uses less electricity but also last 10 times linger than conventional incandescent bulbs.

7. Unplug cords: Unplug cords such as mobile phone chargers and laptop when not using them. Before leaving the house for work, unplug major appliances. Doing so can lessen electricity use by up to 10 % and increase the life of appliance.

8. Use fans or alternative cooling options: Try not to use air conditioner and look for alternative cooling options. If possible, try to use electric fans. If you live in an arid and dry climate, you can use a swamp cooler. Compared to complete air conditioning units, swamp cooler units are inexpensive and can save you plenty on your power bills.

9.  Using a microwave to reheat food: Try to use a microwave to reheat food or to cook small portions. Although a microwave uses a lot of power, it does so over a very short time and so saves energy overall.

10. Planting Trees: Planting trees outside the house will reduce cooling costs in the longer run. Along with this Painting the roof of the house white keep homes cool in summer by letting less heat in and warm in winter by not allowing more heat escape than other roofs.

How to build an eco-friendly house?

How to build an eco-friendly house?

There has been a considerable improvement in the construction of the buildings which has reduced the negative impact on the environment. The eco-friendly construction techniques have reduced energy usage by using sustainable building materials and employing alternative sources of the energy in the house. The innovative water management techniques have also led to conservation of water.

Energy-Efficient Design

Eco-friendly houses should be designed to minimise energy losses. The design of the house should consider environment and local climate conditions to make best possible use of solar energy. The house should be properly insulated to ensure energy efficiency and minimise energy loss. Painting the roof of the house white keep homes cool in summer by letting less heat in and warm in winter by not allowing more heat escape than other roofs. The efficient building design should also consider properly placed windows to allow ventilation in the house.

 

Sustainable Building Materials

Sustainable building material is the one which reduce the energy usage and fits harmoniously within the ecosystem. Recycled wood can be used for making tables, planter, studs and headboard. The recycled plastic can be used to make water tanks, pipes and pet bottles. Recycled denim can be used for the insulation of the walls. The eco-friendly building materials emit low level of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), low embodied energy (the sum energy inputs used to make any product) and are easy to recycle.

Energy-Efficient Appliances

The home appliances used in the house such as air conditioners, washing machines and refrigerators can save substantial amount of energy. The manufacturers had developed energy efficient appliances which use less electricity to help save some money for the consumers. The government agencies had certified these appliances to help consumer identify these products as energy savers such as Energy Star in America.

Alternative Source of Energy

The incorporation of alternative sources of energy can also contribute to the environment. Installing solar panels is very common these days. Using the sun to heat the water for domestic use and also for space heating and cooling can also reduce energy usage.

Water Management

Water management is often overlooked in an eco-friendly house project. The rain water should be collected in the rain barrels and water from the shower can be used in lawn. Low flow toilets should be installed and leaks should be fixed.

Benefits to Homeowners

Eco-friendly houses not only save money for the owners but also conserve energy and are environment friendly. As the materials are toxin free it leads to increased occupant health and also reduce maintenance costs. 

Top 5 Largest Producers of Hydroelectricity

1. China: China is the world’s largest producer of the hydro-electricity and this can be attributed to Three Gorges Dam, built on the river Yangtze, which have the installed capacity of 20,300 MW (this dam is the world’s largest power plant as per the installed capacity). The annual production of electricity in China is estimated at 3,450 billion kwh and out of this 22% is contributed by the hydropower. The dam was completed in the year 2006 and by the end of 2011 is expected to be fully operational and will start generating electricity as per the installed capacity. The country still depends largely on the thermal power as China has the world’s third largest coal reserve.
2. Canada: Canada is second in our list and hydroelectricity contributes around 60% to the annual production of electricity, which is 620 billion kwh. Much of the hydroelectricity is produced and distributed by Hydro-Quebec, a public sector utility company which has the network of 59 dams with the installed capacity of 34,120 MW.
3. Brazil: The country has the annual production of electricity estimated at 438.8 billion kwh with hydro power contributing 83% to this. Brazil has the largest capacity in the world for the water storage. The Itaipu hydroelectric dam on the border of Brazil and Paraguay, jointly operated by both the countries, is the largest power station in the world in terms of electricity generation annually and is second’s largest hydroelectricity power station in terms of installed capacity.
4. USA: The next to feature in the list is America; with contribution of hydro power to the annual electricity production at 5.50%. America is the world’s largest producer of electricity with annual production at 4,110 billion kwh. Though, the country is largely dependent on the thermal plants for the electricity generation, the Grand Coulee Dam on the river Columbia is the largest electricity producing facility in the country.
5. Russia: Russia’s annual electricity production is estimated at 925 billion kwh and the contribution of hydro power is around 17% to this. The largest power plant in the country is Sayano-Shushenskaya dam built on the river Yenisei. After the tragic accident in 2009, in which 74 people were killed, the dam is under repair and will be fully operational by 2014. The other important hydro power station in the country is the Krasnoyarsk Dam which is also built on the river Yenisei.

Organic Food Vs. Genetically Modified Food.

Organic food vs. genetically modified food
Organic food: Organic foods are those foods in which there is no use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and preservatives. In the early 1900s, farmers started using pesticides, fertilizers and preservatives for growing and processing crops. But in 1940s there was a reaction against the use of chemicals in food and hence, started the organic farming.
There are few countries where the regulators have set certain parameters which the crops and the farming process have to meet before they can be tagged as organic. But differentiating between organic foods and non organic is difficult; therefore, the organic foods have labels on them certified by the regulators. Although the scientific studies concluded so far hasn’t been able to find any difference in nutrition value between organic food and non organic, yet there is huge demand of organic foods as they are considered safe for consumption.
The organic foods are not easily available as the production still is very contained. But the biggest disadvantage of organic food is that they are expensive. The reason behind this is lesser average yield per hectare for organic food as compared to conventionally grown foods. The common perception about organic food is that they are not infected by insecticides and are germ free, but that’s a fallacy. Recently, organic grape tomatoes were recalled from the markets by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency because they feared that tomatoes were infected by salmonella, even, though the product had certified labels on the packaging. Another myth about organic food is that they reduce the risk of cancer, which is not backed by any scientific study.
But the demand for organic food is growing cause of the impact of organic farming on the environment. Organic farms produce less waste and do not release harmful pesticides in the environment. Due to soaring demand, there are different types of organic foods available nowadays. Organic meat (the animals are fed natural food), organic fish (fish are grown in fish farms), organic baby and dairy products.
There has been huge increase in the sale of organic food industry across the world. In America alone, the sale of organic food products has increased from 1 billion $ in 1990 to 26.7 billion $ in 2010. The overall organic food market has grown as they are considered safe compared to conventionally grown food and with the increased focus on good nutrition it is expected that the organic food market will keep on flourishing.


Genetically modified food: Genetically modified food (GM food) is a food in which the genes have been modified or have been replaced by new genes by using molecular biology techniques. The changes in the DNA of the plants are made to achieve the desired traits such as longer shelf life, increased nutritional content or increased resistance to disease and bacteria.
In early 1990’s, tomato was the first GM food that was introduced in the market. After this many crops were genetically modified and introduced such as wheat, corn, brinjal and cotton. Unlike organic food, GM foods are not subjected to mandatory labelling in USA and Canada but in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Australia and European Union the GM food requires labelling. The consumption of GM foods has increased in the last 20 years and in America alone it is believed that 60% of the grocery foods contain GM ingredients.
There has been intense debate on the impact of GM foods on the environment and human health. GM foods supporter believe that the food production will increase as GM foods are pest and disease resistant. GM foods need fewer pesticides and less herbicide which will save money for the farmers. It is believed that GM crops are more nutritious and are drought and salinity resistant as compared to conventionally grown crops.
On the other hand, the critics of GM foods have always maintained that they are not suitable for human consumption, but, even after 15 years of consumption of GM foods, no ill reports have been reported which can substantiate this claim. Though few studies concluded that GM foods have adverse effects on mammals but they were considered biologically irrelevant by the food safety authorities. But GM foods do raise some concerns as few scientific studies have shown that insects and pest might become resistant to GM foods as a result of genetic evolution.
There is also threat of gene transfer from GM foods to humans which might transfer allergens which can make them sick. In spite of all these, the consumption of GM foods has increased across the world. But there are few European countries where GM foods are banned.
Overall, there is no substantial study which can illustrate the advantages of organic food and the disadvantages of the GM foods. The food safety officials should conduct more studies and then decide whether to promote genetically modified crops, organic crops or conventional crops or to find a way where they all can co-exist.